5 yrs after Punjab launched residue management scheme, balers help it crack field-fire code

While in the past five years, only 768 balers and 681 rakes were distributed in the state, this year, around 2,300 balers and nearly the same number of rakes are being distributed of the proposed 25,000 machines.

Since 2018, Punjab has so far procured around 1.37 lakh machines under the CRM scheme. The state has over the years kept adding and promoting new machines with additional features to attract farmers and farm unions to make them stop stubble burning, even as farmers kept mentioning that thousands of old machines are not even in use now.

In 2018, the Punjab government distributed 9,552 Happy Seeders and 3,628 Super SMS (Straw Management System) machines, constituting nearly 50% of the total machines distributed that year. The Happy Seeders were innovative machines designed to address the problem of crop residue by tilling and sowing the next crop without the need to burn the stubble.

In 2019, more emphasis was laid on zero till drills, paddy straw choppers, with the introduction of Super Seeder. Of the 23,068 CRM machines distributed in 2019, these constituted around 55%, with 7,332 zero till drills, 4,505 paddy straw choppers, and 963 Super Seeders being distributed.
In 2020, the Super Seeder took the lead, constituting 65% of the 25,811 machines distributed that year, totaling 16,734 units. Farmers embraced the Super Seeder for its efficiency and eco-friendlyness. The Super Seeder not only sowed the next crop but also ensured that the leftover straw was incorporated into the field, thus enriching the soil.

Super Seeder retained its popularity in 2021 and 2022, accounting for 62% and 65% of the 13,796 and 27,250 CRM machines distributed in the two years, respectively. However, from this year, the state government shifted its focus on use of balers in making fuel (ex-situ measure to stop farm fires).

Director of Punjab agriculture department Jaswant Singh said, “The adoption of balers was met with enthusiasm, as farmers realised the dual benefits of reduced stubble burning and an additional income. The sight of bales of straw neatly stacked in the fields has become common, signifying a significant shift in crop residue management practices across Punjab this year,” he said.

He added that farmers are more interested in baling paddy straw, as it clears the fields of stubble, leaving only the roots of the paddy plants, which can be easily mixed into the soil after plowing.